Washington US January 7, ANI Sputnik The United States and Japan will soon sign an agreement that will allow bilateral cooperation on defenses against cybersonic missiles and new space-based capabilities, said Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State.
Blinken said on Thursday that we're going to launch a new research and development agreement that will make it easier for our scientists, engineers and program managers to collaborate on emerging defense related issues from countering hypersonic threats to advancing space-based capabilities.
Blinken said in the coming days the United States and Japan will sign a new five-year host nation agreement that will support a framework that will invest more resources to deepen military readiness and interoperability.
Austin stressed the significance of the US-Japan alliance to confront challenges from North Korea and China in the Pacific.
Austin, Blinken, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel are meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo to discuss a range of issues of mutual concern.
Hayashi said the United States and Japan should be prepared to respond effectively to the challenges of the present and future in the region, especially to have a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Hirokazu Matsuno, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary, said earlier in the day that Japan filed a protest against North Korea over Pyongyang's latest missile launch, which it claimed was a hypersonic missile.
On Wednesday, the Japanese Coast Guard and the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said they had observed an unknown ballistic missile fired by North Korea in the direction of the Sea of Japan. This was the first test of North Korean weapons this year. The last took place on October 19, 2021, when North Korea tested a new submarine ballistic missile.